Corny as it may sound, we need to view beauty in perspective. It’s like a see-saw, someone drop-dead gorgeous can be tossed so high in the air, her admirers are left gasping way below. Adulation in their eyes. Or the see-saw can throw you way down, you come crashing down to ground, like Marilyn Monroe who could not break out of the image she had of herself and the world had of her. So easy to pitch from one side to the other.

A beautiful face is the icing on the cake, not the whole cake itself. You see a beautiful woman walk do­wn, heads turn. You see a stylish woman, like Jacqueline Onassis, walk down, heads turn. You see a classy woman, like Coco Chanel, walk down, heads turn. If you make a statement heads will turn. The whole package with style, class and looks is a limited edition, the X-series God put on earth to remind us how Eve the Original looked. Now if God made every woman gorgeous, we would become a lazy, self indugent, and egotistic species. Then how would we handle sickness, acne, old age, chicken pox, scars, pain, loneliness, angst, rejection, sorrow, childbirth, depression…. I mean these things show up on the face don’t they? Much as one tries to hide them, they eat away at the inside, making it so hollow, the outside gets stretched and taut.

So, the angels of Mercy said a woman needs to look at herself on the inside and the outside. The inner self and the outer self, preserving the beauty of both. Backing up beauty with compassion, courage, strength, perseverance, vitality, individuality and that little something called style, which is so unique to every individual.

Style is nothing but a reflection of the inner confidence, the inner ability to mix and match whatever you have in the wardrobe with élan and panache. To use a theatrical term, it is the ability to improvise with any situation. Come on, all magazines tell us if you are fat, stick to blacks on the bottom and colours on the top, on the shirt, on the scarves, draw attention to your strengths. Who said subtle makeup cannot be stylish? Who said eyeliner, blush and nude lip gloss cannot be stunning. Big bags, large sunglasses and high heels are such great camouflage gear. Look at magazines, look at new trends, look at the mirror and let commonsense and confidence guide you. Hell with what the models wear…

Class is just cultivated, even if you feel you do not have it. Some are born with it, some grow into it, others learn it from the tough strokes of life. Haven’t you seen a man gaze into the eyes of a woman he loves? She need not be beautiful but she may have a gentle manner, soft eyes, a controlled voice, a manner that is well bred. Foul language is better heard in the movies. Bad body odour is best handled in advertisements. Aggression is best showcased in the gyms. Class is so much about how you carry yourself, how you speak, how you interact with others, how you handle life and its problems, how you are an asset rather than a liability. It’s a fragrance, people sense it before they see it.

Grooming, girls, is just a well rounded woman, a holistic package, beautiful on the inside and the outside.”neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride”. How the world looks at you starts with how you look at yourself first…. Beauty is a work in progress. An old friend once said, “Beauty starts with a woman’s smile.”

The writer is a theatre director and novelist